TaxiPoint October 2022 Edition 42

EDITORIAL

What a month it’s been since the last edition.

The political landscape shifts once more at a time when the country is craving some stability. What the taxi industry would give for a politically and economically settled period to restore some normality after a turbulent few years.

In this edition we explore the possible impact of high interest rates, low Sterling values and the increasing cost of living on the taxi industry moving forwards.

There’s also a fantastic interview with Sherbet’s Asher Moses who chats about the industry recovery, the shift to electric and future of the trade.

I’d like to say a big thank you to every one of our readers for their ongoing support and also a huge thank you to those that contribute content and advertise on the platform. TaxiPoint is here because of you.

Many thanks and be lucky, TaxiPoint

Founder

TaxiPoint Chief Editor: Perry Richardson

TaxiPoint Publishing & Advertising Manager: Lindsey Richardson

Visit us online at: www.taxi point.co.uk

Write to us at: contact@taxi point.co.uk

Advertising enquiries at: advertising@taxi point.co.uk

The publishers reserve the right to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisers must comply with the British Code of Advertising practice.

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers.

All written and image rights are reserved by the author as displayed. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Copyright brand TaxiPoint 2022. Creative Common image licenses displayed where applicable.

PAYMENTS

The taxi industry is one of the sectors that still heavily relies on the UK tipping culture. A good day of tips can mean getting home to the family that extra hour earlier as a reward for the excellent service offered. A bad day can see you slogging it out in the cab later than usual.

While no taxi driver expects a tip, recognition goes a long way. But what if the passenger gets something called ‘tipper’s regret’ and retrospectively asks for the generous gift back? Do you have to return it?

It would be highly unlikely that a tipper paying in cash would be able to track down the cabbie to ask for the money back. However, as more taxi passengers choose to pay via card payments, ‘tipper’s regret’ could creep in days or weeks after

Unbelievably, there is no legal guidance if this scenario takes place. So, what are your choices? You obviously could return the tip and just write it off as an anomaly, or you could simply refuse to give it back. By refusing to hand back the tip, the tipper could pursue it further, most likely via the

Restauranteurs experience the most ‘tipper’s particularly when someone mistakenly adds a tip on top of a bill that already includes a s up to the restaurant to either provide a refund or stand their ground and

FEATURE

ARTICLE BY:

PERRY RICHARDSON TAXIPOINT FOUNDER

In whatever city or town you visit, taxi drivers pride themselves on their unrivalled knowledge in the local area. And rightly so.

However, it is humanly impossible to know everything and there’s always been a defensive stigma when cabbies talk about the use of navigational apps such as Waze or Google Maps.

Before I go any further, I just want to reiterate… NOTHING can beat the human knowledge and experience of a city. But it can be FURTHERED when it comes to knowing where house numbers are on streets, knowing in advance when new road restrictions pop up and it might help keep your driver’s licence clear of any career wrecking penalty points.

Recently the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) produced a handy

guide to show cabbies how to access the popular Waze app ‘taxi mode’ alongside setting speed trap alerts.

In July taxi drivers were urged to look at the popular traffic and navigational app Waze to help keep to changing speed limits and stay up to date with new road restrictions. The real time traffic app also has a handy ‘Taxi’ mode that considers bus lanes, unlike many other navigational apps on the market.

For years though there has been a defensiveness from cabbies that when you state Artificial Intelligent (AI) is on par with the human brain, that’s when topographic testing becomes irrelevant. Only a taxi driver will know how important instant recall of knowledge is where they ply their trade. AI is nowhere near close to an

FEATURE

experienced cabbie’s hippocampus.

I’ll give you some examples as a working cabbie myself. A passenger hails down a taxi on Great Portland Street and asks for the nearest Apple Store. Instantly I know of them and I’m off as soon as their bum hits the seat. Without prior knowledge I’d have to type in the address, wait for the device to load, and then go whilst enduring a chorus of car horns who are stuck behind me whilst I am typing furiously.

On the way to Regent Street Apple Store, I take a completely different route to that generated by Google Maps. Experience and knowledge in the area means I can either drop the customer on the opposite side of the

road or U turn at Conduit Street if their mobility needs require a front door drop off. Both occasions I’ve saved the passenger a huge amount of time and money when compared to AI generated routes.

AI routing is useful when you don’t have a clue! Journeys outside of my expertise require the next best thing to get me there and that’s when Sat Navs come in.

If cabbies embrace the good parts of AI and ignore the more basic stuff targeted at those that don’t know the area, technology can be a useful tool even for the most experienced of cabbies.

The taxi industry is lucky to have several forward thinking and innovative individuals within the trade. One such person that fits that bill is Asher Moses, CEO of Sherbet Taxis, who have been picking up a cluster of awards in the background thanks largely to its growing green electric taxi app and fleet.

We caught up with Asher to discuss the last few years and where the London taxi industry is heading in the long term.

The pandemic had a severe impact on the taxi industry. How did Sherbet Taxis get through all the lockdowns and looking back now what were the key learnings from that period?

Lockdown was a challenge not just for Sherbet but for all licensed fleet owners, especially those of us who’d invested heavily in electric taxis. Actually, ‘challenge’ is understating it. At times, the pandemic was absolutely chaotic.

We had taxis coming back on a daily basis due to a lack of demand. We had to hire car parks to store unused vehicles, then we had to allow drivers to keep their taxis at home because taxis left in the car parks were being vandalised. Some fleet owners had components stolen from their idle vehicles, and we couldn’t decommission taxis fast enough.

We had to reinvent our business. We couldn’t sell advertising and the doughnut effect meant people were at home instead of in the centre of town. So we transformed our app to cater to people who needed to travel safely to hospital

appointments. This helped us keep some of our drivers earning their bread and butter while helping the most vulnerable in our city.

You have to be resilient in this game. Having been in the industry for over 35 years we’ve seen recessions come and go and we’ve seen off many attempts by corporates to take over our industry, which always fail because, as we all know, a suit can’t talk to a cabbie.

But a key learning from the pandemic is that, as a business owner, you can’t put your trust in the Government, the Mayor’s office or TfL with regards to their promises about going green and going electric and providing support. As a businessman you have to be ready and prepared to take the big risks involved to sustain the taxi trade. I think the taxi trade should come together to applaud the many fleet owners out there who, like myself, have really committed their lives to establishing the trade, and investing millions of pounds on converting to electric. We give access to drivers who can’t afford a taxi, and who can’t or don’t want to commit to finance. We are investing on the Government’s behalf for the trade, so all we ask is for more government support going forward and for the public and taxi driving community to back us.

QSince the covid restrictions were completely lifted how has business been?

We’re about 18 months into normality and there is a renaissance for taxis. Rentals are at their highest occupancy for a long time, due to there being far fewer vehicles on the road than pre pandemic. But the drivers will come back. Once you are a cab driver you are always a cab driver and the demand we’re seeing now must be picked up on the supply side.

One reason for this renaissance is that during Covid, people loved the clean, green, safe taxis not for the tech, but for the personal approach. The nature of black taxis having separate cabins with individual climate control alleviated many people’s fears around catching Covid from a driver. It was a slow start start and stop – but it is booming now.

Another reason our Ride app is in such demand is that people are so much more aware of corporate social responsibility now and they want to work with ethical brands and to be seen in clean, green taxis like ours. We are a premium app but above all we are a brand with values, a brand that is recognised, both due to our fleet and also with the pristine, clean, owner drivers we’re recruiting to work on the driver app; our delivery and service is second to none.

Also for the media part of the business, advertisers want to be seen on green, ethical taxis and we’re in that sweet spot. As a brand in the taxi trade we are doing very well now. We were up and down alongside the drivers during the pandemic, but we continue to work in collaboration with our drivers in support of the black taxi trade.

QWhat more can be done to speed up the roll out of electric black cabs in the capital?

The truth is I think taxi owners and fleet owners have really done their bit. They have invested in the Mayor’s strategy in the hope they would get more

“But a key learning from the pandemic is that, as a business owner, you can’t put your trust in the Government, the Mayor’s office or TfL with regards to their promises about going green and going electric and providing support.”

support. I am personally shouting as loud as I can to the city, to the capital, and to business owners to get on board and support people like us who invest in electric taxis and invest in the Mayor’s strategy to go green. As well as more consideration from the Government, we need a lot more people to love the taxi trade and shout on our behalf, so it’s also about the passengers. We should be taking the time to give them the best experience; with a smile, with excellent service and with a fair fare. We need them to support us, we need to retain each one and never leave them with a bad memory. It’s the customers who will scream and shout for us, especially at Sherbet. In fact, they’re already doing just that. Above all though, we need decision makers in London to love electric black taxis and set legislation allowing easier roll out and fleet expansion.

QYour latest advertising campaign, which compares Sherbet’s green credentials with those of the ride hail firm Uber, has sparked much debate. What was the thinking behind it and what are you looking to achieve?

To be honest with you, it is very hard to find marketing budgets when you are trying to scale, not every company has a huge budget therefore you need to find innovative and creative strategies. Sherbet is lucky in that our vehicles provide a fantastic canvas for building our brand and getting Londoners’ attention. And creatively, what better way to get your message out than to bounce off another brand which isn’t delivering what it promised. Uber doesn’t have a good reputation in London, just hopes and empty promises. They have blinded our politicians and Transport for London with the hope of technology to lead the capital, when the truth is that we were already doing it, we are still doing it, and we will continue to lead.

But as well as being a clever marketing strategy, the objective is to call Uber out, to say “look they are fuming, they are pumping out way more kilotonnes of emissions than we do”. It was brave, it was scary, to park outside their offices, but honestly, everyone should be calling out Uber; the Mayor, TfL, MPs. Why are they obsessed with a brand that doesn’t respect the play in the capital? They have brought so much disrepute to our Capital and to our politicians, need I remind them of the Uber Files? So as well as building awareness for Sherbet, we hope this campaign helps persuade the Government to invest in the iconic asset that is the Licensed London Electric Taxi, be proud of what they are achieving today and embrace that we can really lead the charge in this area.

QYourself and Sherbet Taxis have received a plethora of awards recently. Do you think the taxi industry could do more to celebrate success?

I truly do feel like the taxi industry could be doing so much more to celebrate their successes.

Sherbet is being recognised because of the iconic

people, we want to do things our own way but respect to all of us, we are all in it for the long term. Yes there is so much to be celebrated; we are electric, we are fully trained, we are iconic, we are reducing emissions. We are not only winning awards for Sherbet and for my customers and my drivers, but for the trade.

QYou’re a very forward thinker. Where do you see the long-term future of the London taxi industry?

I am proud to be constantly learning about tech, AI and business intelligence, in order to keep myself up to date and know what the future is bringing. It is so important to me to be forward thinking. The next 20/30 years are going to be thrilling and exciting.

For the long term future of the London taxi industry, we can keep thriving as long as we accept and respect who we are and what we do, which is provide a green, clean, taxi service in the greatest capital in the world. We have to keep showing just how special we are through customer service, customer retention and customer building. And we must understand we are not a taxi anymore, we are

the

who we are

we

Things are tough financially in the UK at the moment with the rising cost of living, and everyone talking about an impending recession, so it may well be a difficult time to receive a letter potentially asking for more money.

You may have read recently about HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) writing to around 4,000 taxi and private hire drivers using booking apps. Everyone seems to have a different theory about what it means:

Is it because of the online declarations for the tax checks?

Is it because a tech company is handing driver information over?

Or is it just a HMRC phishing exercise?

Well, the simple answer is that only the HMRC currently knows why. With Making Tax Digital (MTD) on the way, the HMRC seem to be practicing flexing their data capture muscles. In the early stages of the Tax Check consultations, it was intimated by HMRC that the data collected from drivers would be ‘blind data’. Meaning that the declarations would not necessarily be used directly against an individual, but this was never formally confirmed.

ARTICLE BY:

GARY JACOBS EAZITAX MANAGING DIRECTOR

Perhaps more importantly the Government published a response in August this year from their 2021 consultation ‘Reporting Rules for Digital Platforms’ which considered the implementation of the new rules. Interestingly the list of ‘Stakeholders’ includes Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber.

Under the rules, from January 2024, tech companies not just, but including, passenger, food and parcel transport apps will be required to report details, including the income, of their users to the tax authority of the jurisdiction in which the platform is resident. So, there is an element of inevitability about this anyway.

So, let’s look at the actual wording and see what it means for drivers who have received it.

Although this is not the same, anyone

GUESTFEATURE

who has been the subject of a HMRC enquiry, will know that HMRC has the right to open an enquiry into any tax return. It is also clear that any self employed taxpayer needs to keep all the documents and information used to prepare a tax return. If looked at in that light, the task is not a huge one. However, these letters expressly say that:

“

We have information that shows you’ve earned money (income) from driving customers who booked using online applications. We also have information that shows that you have not told us about some or all of this income.”

This is unusually specific for a first letter, allayed with the fact that the driver will only have 90 days from the date of the letter to work out and pay any tax. It then goes on to offer a ‘voluntary disclosure’.

Even though this does seem unusually specific, it also says that HMRC does have some wiggle room for their details to not be correct. As they say, tax can be

complicated, so they want to help you get it right! It is also possible that many of the people that they will be writing to are already ‘in discussions’ with the tax man either by choice, or in enquiry.

Our simple advice, it’s here so get advice from a professional. Many drivers will already have an accountant who would have received a copy of the letter and be dealing with it on their behalf already. Remember, this letter also refers directly to the tax checks and relicensing, so they know the net is closing in.

In conclusion, although the licensed taxi drivers are being hit first (mainly because to the tax checks I presume), the data reporting rules for the platforms means that eventually in our increasingly cashless society there will be nowhere to hide from the taxman. Get advice from a tax professional now.

TAXIPOINTFUELREPORT

throughout the month of August leaving the price at £1.70 when filling up from the green pump at the start of September. That figure has thankfully dropped another 8p to £1.62 at the turn of October, with more savings to come prior to the Christmas lead up.

Diesel prices have dropped more slowly sitting at £1.80, a 3p drop from last month.

For electric cabs a new price cap arrives this month which costs an estimated 36p per kWh to charge from home and roughly £11 for a full charge on public chargers for LEVC TX users.

Another month of gradual decreases in fuel prices have been welcomed in the taxi industry.

In this monthly TaxiPoint Fuel Report, we use our unique formula to analyse the rapidly changing fuel cost landscape facing cabbies. In the review we look at some of the UK’s most popular cabs which includes the diesel TX4, the electric LEVC TX, and Skoda Octavia.

In August, fuel prices stood at a eye watering £1.96 per litre for diesel and £1.88 per litre for petrol. Those prices have fallen fast for petrol users

Perry Richardson, TaxiPoint Founder, said: “Both petrol and diesel have decreased and thankfully that trend is set to continue next month as well. If petrol continues decreasing it will soon be cheaper to use petrol rather than charging up on electric for those driving LEVC TXs.

LEVC TX

LEVC TX

Nissan Dynamo (Fully

MG5

MG5 (Fully

£739.18 £8,870.18 £44,350.92

£7,289.36 £36,446.79

£475.60 £5,707.17 £28,535.86

£7,937.74 £39,688.69

£23.15 £115.76 £463.03 £5,556.42 £27,782.08

£128.41 £513.65 £6,163.75 £30,818.73

£150.45 £601.82 £7,221.83 £36,109.14

£140.29 £561.15 £6,733.82 £33,669.12

£28.02 £140.12 £560.49 £6,725.82 £33,629.10

£28.00 £140.00 £560.00 £6,720.00 £33,600.00

£15.99 £79.97 £319.87 £3,838.45 £19,192.26

£10.81 £54.06 £216.24 £2,594.88 £12,974.40

£16.13 £80.64 £322.56 £3,870.72 £19,353.60

TAXILICENSING

Taxi licensing can be confusing at the best of times especially when it comes to understanding UK regulations and how it works from region to region.

Many working in large urban cities are aware of only two types of licences that can be obtained. Hackney carriage and Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) driver licences. For many, especially in London, the concept of a third option, dual licensing, is one of mystery and uncertainty.

So, let’s break it down and explain why thousands of cabbies across the UK chose the dual licensing option.

In 2022 there are 330,300 driver licences in England, 11,800 (3.4%) less than in 2021. Of the total licences, 65% were PHV only licences, just 12% were taxi only licences and 22% were dual taxi and PHV licences. That equates to 80,600 dual licensed drivers.

TAXILICENSING

Region Number

Sheffield 2753

Kirklees

Cardiff 2216 Nottingham 2070 Leicester 1959 Uttlesford 1833

Stoke on Trent 1519 Milton Keynes 1460

Oldham 1293 Birmingham 1061

Crucially dual licences allow the holder to drive BOTH taxis and PHVs. Having the choice of driving a taxi vehicle means they’ll be able to pick up at taxi ranks or be flagged down by people. They may also be pre booked by personal or telephone requests. However, the vehicles are usually more costly to run and in rural areas or smaller towns the demand might be sporadic.

Having the freedom to jump into a usually cheaper to run PHV whilst working with a traditional local operator is also an option open to all dual licensees.

TaxiPoint asked readers what the advantages were of dual licensing. Dual licensed driver Richard Standley said: “One advantage is that if you need a replacement taxi you can drive either.”

Other cabbies all listed the extended fleet options as an advantage when problems arise. Bill Annetts said: “Never be without a car to drive.”

Drivers in Scottish regions including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Highland Council all provide dual licensing to hackney carriage drivers as standard. Some local authorities in England also offer the same security.

THEECONOMY

The pound dropped to a new historic low against the dollar after a controversial mini budget announced by the chancellor.

The value of the pound has plummeted in recent weeks due to growing economic uncertainty facing most people in the UK. The appointment of Liz Truss provided little in the way of confidence and then sterling dropped again on Friday 23 September at the announcement of Government tax cuts.

Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini budget started a mammoth sell off in the markets. The Bank of England has also had to act fast by trying to shift some UK Government debt and raise emergency interest rates to stabilise the economy.

What does this all mean for the taxi industry?

Let’s first look at the impact it will have with running costs and future investment. If the value of sterling drops, the more expensive it is to buy goods from overseas.

Quite frankly this will affect pretty much everything the taxi industry buys. The cost of manufacturing car and taxi parts will increase as the pound loses value. This will inevitably push up the cost of vehicles at a time when clean air zones are at the forefront of local authority policy.

Maintaining vehicles will also become more expensive as parts made abroad are bought using the fragile pound.

THEECONOMY

Fuel prices will likely now remain high at the pumps as the weak pound battles to compete on the common market. According to the AA, motorists are already forking out an extra £5 to fill up a typical family car. This may take weeks or months to filter through as retailers use up current stock first.

Looking more widely, the cost of energy and food will also likely rise again pushing up inflation. This could make less money available for luxury commodities, leisure activities… and travel.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. A weak currency will attract more overseas tourism who will get more bang for their buck. The price of holidays abroad for Brits will also feel a little bit out of touch for more people. Expect to see a rise in staycations over the next 12 months.

What will the rising interest rates do to the taxi trade?

This could have a very detrimental impact on the taxi fleet across the UK. Interest rates could rapidly rise past the 6% marker in the coming months in a bid to curb the slumping pound. Any rapid rise could make the cost of financing new vehicles out of reach or unworkable for many, especially given the weak pound will have already pushed up the unit price, causing a financial double whammy!

There are also concerns that finance simply will not be readily available to many. Mortgage lenders and banks are increasingly pulling loans from their range of products as confidence continues to waver.

The next 6 months look set to be an economic rollercoaster hot off the heels of the coronavirus pandemic. With demand still outweighing supply, the current taxi driver shortage caused by the pandemic could be the saving grace through this period.

FEATURE

The taxi industry has a had a long and strong connection with the Royal Family which has prompted moving tributes both in recent weeks and last year.

Hundreds of London taxi drivers joined mourners outside Buckingham Palace to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II who died aged 96. The rows of black cabs that paid tribute along The Mall matched that of Her Majesty’s husband Prince Philip just over a year earlier.

Both occasions were an instinctive and

heartfelt response from the taxi industry which was unmatched across any other professions plying their trade in the capital. Why? Because London cabbies acknowledge the Palace and other royal residences during their working days. They are often part of the cabbie’s routine and conversation about the Royals is frequent with inquisitive passengers visiting London. Many cabbies will have lost count of the times they’ve explained the significance of the Royal Standard or Union Jack flying high above Buckingham Palace.

FEATURE

Many cabbies feel a bond with the Royals. It could even be argued that cabbies are seen as ambassadors for the family too given their own status in the capital. Put it like this, if you were to ask a group of people who have never visited the UK to close their eyes and describe London you would get Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, red buses and telephone boxes and black cabs. Some might say all icons of London.

There are other quirky details that bring together the Royal Family and the taxi industry.

HRH Prince Philip used to drive a vehicle modelled on a taxi to travel unseen around London. Philip took delivery of the gas powered Metrocab in 1999 and used the vehicle for engagements in the capital, seamlessly blending with London’s landscape. Prince Philip gave up his Metrocab back in 2017 and it can now be found on display in the Sandringham museum's Royal Garages.

The Taxi Charity, which is run by volunteer London licensed taxi drivers and has been supporting hundreds of veterans since 1948, was joined by the late Prince Philip in the summer of 1979. The Duke of Edinburgh agreed to be guest of honour at the charity’s annual visit to the seaside town of Worthing. The charity had been taking veterans to

the seaside town every year since 1948, but this was the first time that a senior member of the Royal Family had joined the hundreds of veterans at their much loved annual event.

Gerry Dunn MBE, London Licensed Cabbie, said: “I was the photographer for the Taxi Charity in 1979 in Worthing Town Hall. I was using a 35mm camera with a roll film and at one stage asked Prince Philip to step back a little so that I could get him in the shot. He smiled and duly obliged. Prince Philip entertained the room with his speech, and he referenced owning and driving an old Metro Taxi and commented ‘you bloody taxi drivers keep cutting me up’. After the speech he worked the room and talked to as many veterans as he was able before catching up with the charity committee and posing for a photograph.”

In 2014 the now HRH King Charles III took a ride in the back of a black cab to meet members of the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers. During a speech the then Prince of Wales described the taxi trade as an ‘institution’ to London and ‘one of the great traditions’.

The bond between Royals and black cabs remains strong and there’s little sign of that ever changing.

FEATURE

Most of the time bikes and taxis share the crowded roads in a civil and safe way, sticking to the rules of the roads. Whether you’re sharing busy bus lanes in urban environments or in close proximity on country roads, accidents can however happen.

But what should motorists do if they are involved in an accident with a cyclist. Are cyclists liable if it was their fault? Do they have to stop at the scene of an accident?

What happens if a cyclist causes damage to my taxi?

According to The Sun, first thing first make sure the cyclist is okay regardless of who’s fault it is. Cyclists are human, make mistakes from time to time and are less protected than motorists. If they require medical attention call 999 immediately.

Following that you now need to work out whether the biker is under the age of 18 years old and whether they have insurance. If they are

insured, and a growing number of responsible cyclists are, happy days! Simply swap insurance details and make the claim for damages caused against their insurance company as you would other motor vehicles you share the road with.

If they are not insured, it is not a current legal requirement for cyclists to be, you can claim on your own insurance, and ask the cyclist to be fair and cooperative by paying for the damage caused by his or her fault. This is a fair request giving the motorist will be fronting cost of the damage caused by someone else. Costs will include insurance excess fees and future increased insurance premiums.

Make sure you swap insurance details, take photos of the incident and the serial number of the bike. The Sun goes on to add, if the cyclist is not cooperative, then you always have the option of taking the cyclist to court. You can sue them over

FEATURE

causing the accident if they were negligent while cycling on the road.

Many taxis are now equipped with dashcams and CCTV devices. Footage can help your case along with photos taken at the scene and witness statements from people onboard the taxi and on the street that may have seen the incident.

A cyclist is deemed negligent if they are:

• Riding a bike in a dangerous way and not following the rules of the road

• Riding recklessly through pedestrians

• Riding with no lights on when dark

• Jumping a red light

• Riding against traffic

• Not giving way.

Motorists are also advised to report the incident to the police on 101 within 24 hours.

When can a cabbie claim against a cyclist?

If the cyclist is at fault and insured, then the taxi driver can claim against them. The driver can even sue a cyclist if they are seen to have been riding in a negligent manner.

If the driver and cyclist cannot come to an agreement, then the dispute could then go to court. If the uninsured cyclist is found at fault for the collision or damage caused it could become very expensive for the cyclist.

However, if the cyclist is under 18 years old, things may get complicated, and it may be seen as a waste of time. Most teenagers of that age do not yet have an income or assets. The courts may agree that the cyclist pay the driver back in one pound instalments each month until the damage bill is paid off.

Does a cyclist need to stop if they have no insurance and are involved in an accident?

Absolutely yes. The first thing a cyclist should do is stop at the scene of the accident. It is set out in law as part of the Road Traffic Act 1988. When a cyclist is involved in an accident with another road user they must stop at the scene of the incident and assess whether anyone is injured and whether damage has been caused. The accident must be reported to the Police as a legal requirement.

ELECTRICVEHICLES

The cost to charge an electric car on a pay as you go basis at a publicly accessible ‘rapid’ charger has increased by 42% or 18.75p per kilowatt hour since May to reach an average of 63.29p per kilowatt hour, new data from RAC Charge Watch indicates.

The increase caused by the soaring costs of wholesale gas and electricity means that it now costs drivers on average £32.41 to rapid charge a typical family sized electric car with a 64kWh battery to 80%, which is up nearly £10 (£9.60) since May and £13.59 compared to a year ago.

Drivers using the fastest, so called ‘ultra rapid’ chargers that have a power output of more than 100kW

have seen average charging costs increase by a quarter (25%), or 12.97p, since May with the current average price of charging sitting a little over the ‘rapid’ cost at 63.94p per kilowatt hour. This puts the cost of an 80% charge at £32.74, up from £26.10 in May (25% increase) and from £17.51 in September 2021 (87% increase).

The RAC’s figures show that a driver exclusively using a rapid or ultra rapid charger on the public network will now pay around 18p per mile for electricity, up from an average of 13p per litre in May. This compares to 19p per mile for a petrol car and 21p per mile for a diesel one, based on someone driving at an average of 40 miles to the gallon.

ELECTRICVEHICLES

In reality, many current electric car drivers will predominantly charge at home where electricity is cheaper under the Energy Price Guarantee, the cost per mile for an average sized EV driven reasonably efficiently is around 9p and the cost to charge a car to 80% at home will be £17.87. But the huge price gap between home and public charging highlights the extent to which drivers who depend on the charging network, including those who don’t have driveways and can’t charge at home, pay a premium to run electric cars.

The RAC is also concerned the relatively high cost of rapid charging on the public network risks putting off drivers from opting for electric cars when they next change their vehicles. While the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme should help prevent charging costs from spiralling still further, it remains the case that drivers using public chargers unfairly pay 20% in VAT for electricity they buy, compared to charging at home where it’s just 5%. The RAC therefore backs the FairCharge campaign’s call for both rates to be set at 5%, a move that would reduce the cost of an 80% rapid charge by 7.91p to 55.38p per kWh, and an ultra rapid charge by 7.99p to 55.95p per kWh and would not unfairly penalise those drivers who can’t charge their cars at home.

RAC EV spokesperson Simon Williams said: “For those that have already made the switch to an electric car or are thinking of doing so, it remains the case that charging away from home costs less than refuelling a petrol or diesel car, but these figures show that the gap is narrowing as a result of the enormous increases in the cost of electricity. These figures very clearly show that it’s drivers who use public rapid and ultra rapid chargers the most who are being hit the hardest.”

safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has revealed that British motorists are most likely to call their insurance provider first, rather than the police, a family member, or a friend, after a minor road accident.

The survey, which asked 1,004 motorists who they would call in the event of a low speed accident where somebody has damaged their car, such as a dent on the bumper, revealed that over one third would call their insurance company first.

This compares to 30 percent who said they would call a family member, 28 percent who reported that they are likely to call the police, and just 9 per cent who would call a friend.

The decision on whether or not to call the police fetched the most polarised results, with one in three answering that they would be the last people to call in the event of a minor incident, but 28 percent thought that the police would be their first port of call.

respondents would try to get a confession from the driver who hit their car.

Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart, said: “After an incident on the road, it can be difficult to remain calm and consider the most logical course of action. Calling your insurance company is the right thing to do but it is important to remember that the nature of the situation will also determine who to call.

“

For example, we would only suggest calling the police if somebody is hurt, a crime has been committed, or you are in the live lane of a motorway or dual carriageway, with no other way of getting help.

“

Equally, if your car’s lights have been damaged in poorly lit conditions, it is important that you do not continue on your journey and that you call your breakdown company, or a family member or helpful friend.”

A ground breaking camera system which uses AI to catch drivers using mobile phones behind the wheel is being trialled in Devon and Cornwall.

The technology, which can also detect whether drivers are wearing a seatbelt, is being rolled out on select routes across the two counties over the next two months.

The trial is being funded by the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership and overseen by Devon and Cornwall Police in an effort to deter drivers from distractions which can result in serious and fatal collisions.

The Acusensus system is housed in a vehicle equipped with multiple cameras which record footage of passing motorists.

Images captured by the cameras are processed using artificial intelligence (AI) to determine if motorists were using a handheld mobile phone or if drivers and passengers were without a seat belt. It can also determine the speed a vehicle was travelling at the time.

Any images in which a potential offence is detected are then reviewed by a human. If an offence has been correctly identified, the driver will either be sent a warning letter or a notice of intended prosecution, depending on the severity.

Supt Adrian Leisk, Strategic Roads Policing lead for Devon & Cornwall Police, hopes the technology will help send a clear message to the small minority of motorists who continue to flout the law.

Supt Leisk said: “Using a mobile phone while driving is both dangerous and illegal. It puts the lives of the driver, passengers and other road users at risk and that is unacceptable.

“Despite repeated messaging and even a change in the law which makes any contact with a mobile phone while driving illegal, sadly there are still some people who continue to ignore the rules.

“We are employing this new technology to send a clear message to anyone who continues to use their phone behind the wheel you will get caught.

”

Imagecredit:DevonCountyCouncil

Circleimagecredit:HMRC

There are at least 160 legitimate calls on street space from cycle lanes to access for removal vehicles and from street furniture to taxi drop off and they cannot all be met.

These challenges are likely to intensify as home deliveries increase, the weather becomes more extreme and more electric vehicles require charging.

These are the key findings of a new report from Urban Movement for the Urban Transport Group, which calls for a fresh approach to remove the conflict from the competing demands for street space.

The report describes the tools currently used to manage street space as ‘rudimentary and often ineffective’, which are exacerbating the problems of congestion, air pollution, noise, road safety and carbon emissions. It also argues that a tendency to address different priorities for street space in

isolation from each other and a lack of adequate resourcing for local transport authorities further contribute to streets often being ‘the most contested spaces in any town or city’.

The report concludes:

“

To enable streets to be more effectively and efficiently managed first requires the Government, highway authorities and strategic transport authorities to recognise the need for a more holistic approach. From this should follow better coordination of relevant policy, strategy and funding.

There will also need to be an increase in local government capacity and resources dedicated to managing the use of street space. These changes will form the basis of more effective partnerships with transport operators, service providers and others to work together towards clear, shared goals for mutual benefit.

”

Wireless taxi charging has gone live for the first time in the UK as five specially modified black cabs look to break down future charging barriers.

People in Nottingham will get the chance to ride in unique black cabs specially modified with the latest, highly efficient, wireless charging technology, to make them easier for drivers to recharge.

The Wireless Charging of Electric Taxis (WiCET) trial is a government funded project that has installed wireless charging equipment on to electric hackney carriages and into a taxi rank in Nottingham. For this ‘first of its kind’ trial in the UK, five wireless ground transmitter pad systems have been installed at the main taxi rank near the train station, and nine electric hackney carriages have been retrofitted with wireless receiver pads LEVC TX Taxis, and four Nissan Dynamo taxis.

A pilot testing phase demonstrated the wireless charging system as being around 90% efficient, and the taxis will charge at 10 kW.

Taxi drivers in the Highlands of Scotland look set for a 20% tariff increase if new proposals are given the green light by council members.

People in the Highlands are being asked for their views on proposals by the council to review the maximum level of charges for vehicles fitted with taxi meters.

The council has a statutory duty to review the tariffs and other taxi related charges every 18 months. At a Highland Licensing Committee meeting on 6 September, members agreed a draft tariff for public consultation which included a 20% increase to all tariffs.

It is proposed that from February 2023, the maximum fares, and extras, will be amended.

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Imagecredit:WiCET

City of Wolverhampton Council’s Licensing Services are ‘leading the way with public safety’ with daily checks of taxi drivers’ criminal records now being undertaken.

The council is believed to be the first to have invested in automated systems which can check drivers’ criminal records with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) every day of the week, as opposed to manually checking every six months, as recommended by the Department for Transport (DfT).

Under the new automated system, created in partnership with the Disclosure and Barring Service, officers receive a report alerting them to any new information listed on a driver’s certificate. Where new information is found, the Council can now take swifter enforcement action against the driver in question.

As part of the Statutory Taxi & Private Hire Vehicle Standards, published by the DfT, drivers must either be registered to the DBS Update Service or provide an Enhanced DBS Certificate every six months to allow for a check to be undertaken.

Swindon Borough Council are delaying a new mandatory CCTV policy in taxis by a year due to lack of staffing levels.

Earlier this year the council agreed to adopt a mandatory CCTV policy in regards to all Private Hire and Hackney Carriage vehicles licensed by Swindon Borough Council.

Licensing officers had planned to bring in the implementation policy for both new and existing licensed vehicles on 1 April 2023.

However, a spate of resignations have forced the council to delay the process by a year.

UKTAXINEWS

Police officers were left ‘amazed’ when the driver of a 65mph speeding taxi, which was late for a school run, was also found to have no insurance.

Staffordshire Police officers were left stunned after noticing the licensed black Skoda Octavia taxi speeding at 65mph along a 50mph road.

Members of the public are being warned of the dangers of travelling in illegal ‘taxis’ after a surge in reports of them in Merthyr Tydfil town centre at the weekends.

Unlicensed vehicles have not been assessed as safe and suitable to carry passengers and could be in an unroadworthy condition, meaning passengers could be at risk.

Cllr Michelle Symonds, Cabinet Member for Public Protection, Crime and Disorder, said: “The Council’s

Licensing Department are receiving reports of vehicles operating as illegal taxis with unlicensed drivers.

“The purpose of taxi licensing is to protect the public, and we would like to remind residents and visitors of the risks of getting into these vehicles.

“Drivers have direct responsibility for the safety of passengers and significant control over passengers passengers who may be alone and/or vulnerable.”

When instructed to pull over it emerged that the taxi was late for a local school run. Officers then discovered the cabbie was not insured to drive the cab. The taxi was instead insured by someone else and not the driver at the time.

The vehicle has now been seized and the driver reported to court and taxi licensing authorities.

Staffordshire Police Roads Policing Unit said via social media: “This Taxi was in a rush to do a school run from a local school, speeding at 65mph through a 50mph zone because he was late.

“Shame he wasn’t as quick to take out an insurance policy on it.

“

Seized and reported to court. Some people continue to amaze us!”

Imagecredit:StaffordshirePoliceRoadsPolicingUnit

A Plymouth taxi driver who went to court to challenge the city council's new clothing policy was left paying a £800 bill for essentially wearing the wrong trousers.

As part of new licensing policies brought in by Plymouth City Council (PCC) in 2018 all clothing worn by licensed drivers must be clean and in good condition, and the driver must have good standards of personal hygiene.

According to PlymouthLive, the unnamed driver appealed the decision made by PCC to suspend their taxi driver's licence due to enforcement issues relating to the new policy.

The hearing took place at Plymouth Magistrates' Court and centred around dress code policy.

The cab driver who attended the hearing is said to have argued that PCC did not follow correct procedure and that the suspension of his taxi licence for five days was incorrect.

However, according to court documents seen by PlymouthLive, Magistrates said the council was "within their powers and authority to make said decision in accordance with policy, code of conduct, byelaws and statute".

The Magistrates threw out the cabbie’s appeal, ordering them to pay Plymouth City Council's legal costs amounting to £800.

The first working prototype of an ETIOCA TAXI has been unveiled as the company behind the new electric cab continues its drive towards the future of mobility.

The ETIOCA project drives sustainable mobility by responding to the needs of citizens and city administrations who want to control emissions, encouraging the use of comfortable means of transport that can keep citizens from using their cars for short and medium haul journeys. And it has the support of a new generation of taxi drivers who will no longer need to buy their own vehicle.

The electric vehicle is given for use by ETIOCA to the licensed driver, who does not buy the vehicle, but pays for the usage of the taxi, with a cost per kilometer fare.

Roberto Fiorello, Co CEO of ETIOCA, said: “We are thrilled to present our first prototype taxi.

“

Our Research & Development team has done an excellent job and we are proud to share the result of their hard work at this initial stage. We have chosen Italy a country with a strong automotive tradition and a very well structured supply chain to bring the ETIOCA project to life. We are strongly motivated by the opportunities that we see. We are ready to drive innovation, creating new partnerships to face new challenges, always putting the welfare of society and our planet first.”

Imagecredit:ETIOCA

Imagecredit:ETIOCA

Imagecredit:ETIOCA

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